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Yul Brynner

Yul Brynner

Actor · Died October 10, 1985, aged 65 · Vladivostok, Russia

Yul Brynner (July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985) was a Russian-born American actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on stage. He is also remembered as Rameses II in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille film The Ten Commandments, General Bounine in Anastasia and Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven. Brynner was noted for his distinctive voice and for his shaven head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it for his initial role in The King and I. He was also a photographer and the author of two books.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 11, 1920
Died
October 10, 1985 (aged 65)
From
Vladivostok, Russia
Works as
Actor
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 53 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 26% in 30 days

What are Yul Brynner's films like?

Across their 33 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
36%
Bonds
18%
Survival
14%
Power
14%
Self
7%
Society
6%
Ideas
3%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 33 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 18 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 17 · Intense 13

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 26 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 20 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 18 · Full focus 4

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 12 · Affecting 15 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 22 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

32 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 14 of 32 analyzed roles.

Hero
14 of 32
Shadow
7 of 32
Mentor
5 of 32
Shapeshifter
2 of 32
Trickster
2 of 32
Ally
1 of 32
Threshold guardian
1 of 32
Show the 32 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
29
Melancholic
12
Thrilling
9
Romantic
9
Contemplative
5
Other
20

How their films linger

Bittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet24
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Yul Brynner's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Yul Brynner's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

53 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 22 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • I Am Steve McQueen(2014)

    as Chris Larabee Adams (in 'The Magnificent Seven')

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Broadway's Lost Treasures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as The King of Siam (segment "The King and I")

  • Death Rage(1976)

    as Peter Marciani

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Futureworld(1976)

    as The Gunslinger

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Ultimate Warrior(1975)

    as Carson

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Westworld(1973)

    as The Gunslinger

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Serpent(1973)

    as Col. Alexi Vlassov

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Anna and the King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 13 episodes · as King Mongkut

  • Fuzz(1972)

    as The Deaf Man

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Catlow(1971)

    as Catlow

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Romance of a Horsethief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Captain Stoloff

  • The Light at the Edge of the World(1971)

    as Jonathan Kongre

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun(1970)

    Still Photographer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Adiós, Sabata(1970)

    as Sabata / Indio Black

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Magic Christian(1969)

    as Transvestite Cabaret Singer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The File of the Golden Goose(1969)

    as Peter Novak

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Madwoman of Chaillot(1969)

    as The Chairman

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Battle of Neretva(1969)

    as Vlado

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Villa Rides(1968)

    as Pancho Villa

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Long Duel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Sultan

  • The Double Man(1967)

    as Dan Slater / Kalmar

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Triple Cross(1966)

    as Baron von Grunen

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Return of the Seven(1966)

    as Chris Adams

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Poppy Is Also a Flower(1966)

    as Colonel Salem

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Cast a Giant Shadow(1966)

    as Asher Gonen

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Morituri(1965)

    as Captain Müller

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Invitation to a Gunfighter(1964)

    as Jules Gaspard d'Estaing

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Flight from Ashiya(1964)

    as TSgt. Mike Takashima

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Kings of the Sun(1963)

    as Chief Black Eagle

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Taras Bulba(1962)

    as Taras Bulba

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Escape from Zahrain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Sharif

  • Goodbye Again(1961)

    as Extra in Nightclub Scene

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Magnificent Seven(1960)

    as Chris Adams

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Surprise Package (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Nico March

  • Testament of Orpheus(1960)

    as L'huissier (non crédité)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Once More, with Feeling! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Victor Fabian

  • Solomon and Sheba(1959)

    as Solomon

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Sound and the Fury(1959)

    as Jason Compson

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Journey(1959)

    as Major Surov

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Buccaneer(1958)

    as Jean Lafitte

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Houseboat(1958)

    Still Photographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Brothers Karamazov(1958)

    as Dmitri Karamazov

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Anastasia(1956)

    as General Sergei Pavlovich Bounine

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Ten Commandments(1956)

    as Rameses

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The King and I(1956)

    as King Mongkut of Siam

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Omnibus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Actor

  • Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Sure As Fate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Flowers from a Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Dr. Nestri

  • Port of New York(1949)

    as Paul Vicola

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Flowers from a Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Dr. Nestri

  • Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · as Dr. Nestri

  • Actors Studio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · Director

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 52 titles from 1948 to 2003; peak year 1961.

Biggest box office

The Ten Commandments (1956)

$66M worldwide

Highest rated

The Ten Commandments (1956)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

19482003

Peak 1961 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 19 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting47 of 52: 45 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score50thDirecting5 of 52: 3 only directing, 2 with another roleOther crew2 of 52: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1940s4 · 3 acting · 2 crew1950s13 · 10 acting · 4 crew1960s22 · acting1970s12 · 11 acting · 1 crew2000s1 · acting

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 53% of 30 roles
56616671

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Yul Brynner's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 39; across their 33 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Approval · how many liked their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 39 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser18
  • Broadly Agreed11
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966)

63rd percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Ten Commandments (1956)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 32 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Yul Brynner's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles27–61 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles16–29 · median 23 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles4–32 · median 20 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles21–38 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles30–53 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Yul Brynner work with?

People who share at least 2 of Yul Brynner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Elmer Bernstein shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles